Methane_Surface_Emissions_Monitoring.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

2026-PURB RFP-0083

METHANE SURFACE EMISSIONS MONITORING

County of Sacramento

9660 Ecology Lane

Sacramento, CA 95827

RELEASE DATE: August 18, 2026

DEADLINE FOR QUESTIONS: September 2, 2026

RESPONSE DEADLINE: September 16, 2026, 3:00 pm

RESPONSES MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY TO:

https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/saccounty https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/%7bproject.government.code%7d

County of Sacramento

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Methane Surface Emissions Monitoring

1. Introduction

2. General Rules

3. Scope of Work

4. Evaluation and Selection

5. Proposal Format and Content

6. Evaluation Phases

7. Vendor Submissions

Attachments:

A - Attachment A -Standard Consulting Contract Agreement rev 2026.07.16

B - Attachment B - Proprietary Agreement

Request for Proposal #2026-PURB RFP-0083 Title: Methane Surface Emissions Monitoring

1. Introduction

1.1. Summary

The County of Sacramento ("County") is soliciting proposals for qualified firms to provide methane surface emissions monitoring services for designated areas at Kiefer Landfill where humans cannot walk.

Monitoring will need to be done using an alternative technology (drone, robot, etc.).

Services shall comply with applicable federal, state, and local landfill gas monitoring requirements, including the alternative monitoring provisions contained in 40 CFR Part 60, and California Air Resources

Board (CARB) Regulation Section 95471 Surface Emission Monitoring (SEM) procedures.

1.2. Background

Kiefer Landfill contains areas that have been determined to be unsafe for humans/personnel to access on foot due to steep slopes, unstable terrain, active operations, safety hazards, or other site-specific conditions. Regulatory requirements necessitate methane monitoring of these areas using approved alternative monitoring technologies.

1.3. Contact Information

Any inquiries or requests regarding this solicitation must be submitted via OpenGov. Contact with unauthorized County personnel during the selection process may result in disqualification.

Project Contact:

Melissa Burnias

Senior Contract Services Officer

Email: burniasm@saccounty.gov

Phone: (916) 876-6369

Procurement Contact:

Melissa Burnias

Senior Contract Services Officer

Email: burniasm@saccounty.gov

Phone: (916) 876-6369

Department:

Waste Management and Recycling

Department Head:

Jennifer Claiborne

Director

1.4. Timeline

Release Project Date August 18, 2026 mailto:burniasm@saccounty.gov tel:(916)876-6369 mailto:burniasm@saccounty.gov tel:(916)876-6369

Question Submission Deadline September 2, 2026, 3:00pm

Proposal Submission Deadline September 16, 2026, 3:00pm

2. General Rules

2.1. Important Instructions for Electronic Submittal

The County is accepting electronic proposal submissions. Proposers shall create a FREE account with

OpenGov Procurement by signing up at Sign Up (opengov.com). Once you have completed account registration, browse back to this page, click on "Draft Response", and follow the instructions to submit your electronic proposal.

2.2. General Rules

2.2.1 Overview

This Request for Proposals ("RFP") is an invitation for proposers to submit a proposal to the County. This

RFP does not commit the County to award a contract to any proposer. Submission of a proposal shall neither obligate nor entitle a proposer to enter into a contract with the County.

2.2.2 Proposal format and content

When submitting a proposal, proposers must follow the format and contents detailed in Section 5.

Failure to do so will likely prolong the evaluation process and could result in a proposal not being considered.

2.2.3 Proposal submission

Proposals must be received BEFORE 3:00 pm on Wednesday, September 16, 2026 electronically via

OpenGov. Failure to submit a proposal on time may be grounds for rejection of the proposal; however, the County reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to accept proposals after the proposal due date.

2.2.4 Questions and communication

Questions concerning this RFP must be submitted in the project Q&A section in OpenGov Procurement by 3:00 pmon Wednesday, September 2, 2026.

Questions received via phone or e-mail to direct points of contact for this RFP will not be considered nor responded to. The County shall respond to questions properly submitted as described above via addenda, if the answer presents a material change to the solicitation, and/or via the Question & Answer section for non-material answers.

By submitting a response, proposer affirms review of all solicitation documents including all questions submitted and answers issued by the County on the project.

2.2.5 Addenda

The County reserves the right to modify this RFP at any time prior to the proposal due date. The County will modify the RFP only by written addenda. Proposal should be based on this RFP document and any formal written addenda. Proposers should not rely on oral statements. Addenda will be posted in

OpenGov Procurement. It is the responsibility of each prospective proposer to assure receipt of all addenda.

https://procurement.opengov.com/signup

2.2.6 County's right to withdraw, cancel, suspend and/or modify RFP

The County reserves the right to withdraw, cancel, suspend, and/or modify this RFP for any reason and at any time with no liability to any prospective proposer for any costs or expenses incurred in connection with the RFP or otherwise.

2.2.7 Proposer's right to edit or cancel proposal

Proposers may edit or cancel their proposal in OpenGov Procurement prior to the due date.

2.2.8 Proposals will not be returned

Upon submission, proposals will not be returned.

2.2.9 Public disclosure of proposal documents

The County will treat all information submitted in a proposal as available for public inspection once negotiations with the selected party have been completed. If copies of proposals are included with

Board materials, the County will make proposals available for public inspection once staff has made a recommendation for award.

If a proposer believes protected data is included in its proposal, the proposer shall clearly identify the data and provide the legal basis in support of the asserted classification. Proposer must present such information separately as part of its proposal OR type in bold red letters the term "CONFIDENTIAL" on that specific part or page of the proposal which proposer believes to be confidential. Classification of data as trade secret data will be determined pursuant to applicable law, and, accordingly, merely labeling data as "trade secret" does not necessarily make the data protected under any applicable law.

In order for the County to assert the confidentiality of any such information in the event a California

Public Record Act request is received, the proposer must request, execute and submit a County-prepared written agreement to defend and indemnify the County for liability, costs and expenses incurred in asserting such confidentiality as part of the proposal. A copy of that written agreement is attached as Attachment A.

The final determination of whether the County will assert a proposer's claim of confidentiality shall be at the sole discretion of the County. Any information determined to be non-confidential shall be considered public record. If the County determines that your information does not meet the criteria for confidentiality, you will be notified of the County's intent to release the public record pursuant to any

California Public Records Act request.

The proposer agrees, as a condition of submitting its proposal, that the County will not, as between the parties, be liable or accountable for any loss or damage, which may result from a breach of confidentiality related to the proposal. The proposer agrees to indemnity and hold the County, its officials, agents, and employees harmless from all claims arising out of, resulting from, or in any manner attributable to any violation of any provision of the California Public Records Act, including legal fees and disbursements paid or incurred to enforce this provision.

2.2.10 Proposer's costs

The County shall not be responsible for any costs incurred by proposer in connection with this RFP.

Proposer shall bear all costs associated with proposal preparation, submission, and attendance at interviews, or any other activity associated with this RFP or otherwise.

2.2.11 Proposer's ideas

To the extent permitted by law, the County reserves the right to use any or all ideas, concepts, or other information provided in any proposals. Selection or rejection of the proposal does not affect this right.

2.2.12 Collusion

If the County determines that collusion has occurred among proposers, none of the proposals of the participants involved in the collusion shall be considered. The County's determination shall be final.

2.2.13 Conflict of interest

The proposer affirms that to the best of its knowledge the submission of its proposal, or any resulting contract, does not present an actual or perceived conflict of interest. The proposer agrees that should any actual or perceived conflict of interest become known, it will immediately notify the County and will advise whether it will or will not avoid, mitigate, or neutralize the conflict of interest.

The County may make reasonable efforts to avoid, mitigate, or neutralize a conflict of interest by a proposer. To avoid a conflict of interest by a proposer, the County may utilize methods including disqualifying a proposer from eligibility for a contract award or cancelling the contract if the conflict is discovered after a contract has been issued. The County may, at its sole and absolute discretion, waive any conflict of interest.

3. Scope of Work

The selected contractor will be responsible for the following:

3.1 Monitoring Plan Development

• Review site maps and work with engineering and renewable gas staff to identify designated unsafe-to-walk monitoring areas.

• Develop a monitoring approach utilizing alternative monitoring technologies.

• Submit a monitoring plan describing equipment, procedures, data collection methods, quality assurance measures, and reporting protocols.

• Work with renewable gas staff on any weather consideration or Alternative Compliance Options

(ACO) that should be submitted to local air district for approval.

3.2 Surface Emissions Monitoring

Perform methane monitoring in unsafe-to-walk areas using one or more alternative technologies, including but not limited to:

• Unmanned aerial systems (drones)

• Robotic platforms

• Remote sensing instruments

• Handheld instruments deployed from safe locations

• Other approved (likely to be approved) technologies

3.3 Technical Requirements

Monitoring equipment and procedures shall meet the following minimum requirements:

• Comply with CARB Section 95471 SEM provisions for unsafe-to-walk areas and be in conversation with CARB for official approval.

• Measure methane concentration using either:

o Volumetric concentration measurements (ppm), or o Path-integrated concentration measurements (ppm-m).

• Instrument response time shall be 30 seconds or less.

• Measurement location accuracy shall be no worse than ±2 meters.

• Measurements shall be collected at intervals no greater than 5 feet apart.

• Volumetric measurement instruments shall operate within a measurement range of 0–500 ppm methane (or equivalent ppm-m range for path-integrated systems).

• Contractor shall provide documentation demonstrating equipment performance specifications and calibration procedures.

3.4 Screening and Follow-Up Requirements

• Contractor shall identify and report any methane readings meeting or exceeding:

o 200 ppm methane (volumetric), or o 50 ppm-m methane (path-integrated).

• Areas exceeding screening thresholds shall be clearly mapped and documented.

• Contractor shall coordinate with DWMR regarding locations requiring follow-up traditional SEM monitoring.

• Follow-up monitoring locations shall be documented sufficiently to allow traditional SEM verification within regulatory timeframes.

• Contractor shall assist DWMR in documenting any requests for regulatory extensions when follow-up monitoring cannot be completed within 10 calendar days.

3.5 Data Management and Reporting

Contractor shall provide:

• GIS-compatible data files showing all monitoring locations.

• Maps identifying monitoring routes and exceedance locations.

• Raw and processed monitoring data.

• Instrument calibration and quality assurance records.

• Summary reports following each monitoring event.

• Annual summary report, if requested.

Reports shall include:

• Monitoring dates and weather conditions.

• Equipment utilized.

• Data collection methodology.

• Areas monitored.

• Exceedance locations and concentrations.

• Recommendations for follow-up actions.

4. Evaluation and Selection

4.1 Proposal evaluation and recommendation for selection

The County reserves the following rights, to be exercised in the County’s sole and absolute discretion: 1) to determine whether any aspect of a proposal satisfactorily meets the criteria established in this RFP; 2) to seek clarification or additional information from any proposer; 3) to negotiate, sequentially or simultaneously, pricing and/or terms with any proposer or vendor; 4) to reject any or all proposals with or without cause; 5) to waive any irregularities or informalities in a proposal; 6) to cancel or amend by addenda this RFP, in part or entirely; 7) to award multiple contracts to proposers; and/or 8) award a contract to a vendor that did not submit a proposal.

Evaluation of proposals by a selection committee, evaluation panel, County staff, a technical advisory committee, or by another group, individual or entity is advisory only. The County of Sacramento Board of Supervisors or its designee may consider or reject such evaluation(s) for any or all proposals. Such evaluations are for the sole benefit of the County of Sacramento Board of Supervisors or its designee, and as such, they are not binding upon the County, nor may they be relied upon in any way by a

Proposer.

The County will issue a Notice of Intent to Award (NOIA) and/or a Notice of Award (NOA), as applicable, to be published on OpenGov Procurement naming County’s selected consultant following completion of the evaluation process.

4.2 Evaluation of responsiveness

The County will consider all the material submitted by a proposer to determine whether the proposer’s offer is in compliance with the terms and conditions set forth in this RFP. Proposals that do not comply with the provisions in this RFP may be considered nonresponsive and may be rejected.

4.3 Evaluation of responsibility

To determine whether a Proposer is responsible, the County will consider the Proposer’s general qualifications to perform the requested services in a satisfactory manner; financial responsibility;

integrity; skill; past performance; and ability. Proposals from proposers considered non-responsible will be rejected.

4.4 Evaluation panel and evaluation criteria

After review of each responsive proposal, the County may award a contract to a successful proposer based on the evaluation criteria, or it may establish a short list of proposers for further consideration.

The short list of proposers may be asked to provide additional information. The short list of proposers may also be asked to attend an in-person or telephone interview/presentation, as determined by the

County in its sole discretion.

Evaluation criteria shall include the following:

1. Quality of the proposed services, including:

A. How well the proposed services meets the requirements as stated in the RFP

B. Quality of the proposed schedule/work plan/implementation

C. Demonstrated understanding of the scope of work and County’s needs

2. Experience and qualifications, including:

A. Experience

B. Expertise of staff

C. Capability

D. Past performance

E. References

3. Quality of proposal compliance, including:

A. Compliance with proposal format and content

B. Acceptance of the County’s terms and conditions (Attachment A)

4. Cost of proposed services

The County will consider the trade-off between proposed cost and the other evaluation criteria in determining which proposal is most advantageous to the County.

4.5 Interviews

After review of each responsive proposal, the County may award a contract to a successful proposer based on the evaluation criteria, or it may establish a short list of proposers for further consideration.

The short list of proposers may be asked to provide additional information, or an interview/demonstration as determined by the County in its sole discretion.

4.6 Execution of contract

The selected proposer shall execute an agreement with the County of Sacramento, using the standard consulting agreement (Attachment A). Any requested revisions, deletions, or additions, to the language in the attached sample agreement shall be clearly set forth in the proposal for the County’s consideration.

Before a contract becomes effective between the County and any proposer, the contract must be reviewed by County Counsel and the contract award must be approved by the County Board of

Supervisors or its designee. If for any reason the County Board of Supervisors or its designee does not ratify and sign the contract then there are no binding obligations whatsoever between the County and the proposer relative to the proposed contract.

5. Proposal Format and Content

Proposals shall not exceed 10 pages, not including the key staff resumes, and must adhere to the following format:

5.1 Cover letter

Proposers must submit a cover letter that includes the following:

a. A statement that the proposal is effective for a period of one hundred eighty (180) days or the date the contract takes effect, whichever is later;

b. A statement confirming that the proposer has reviewed and agrees to be bound by County of

Sacramento terms and conditions (Attachment A) including insurance provisions; or, alternatively, a statement confirming that the proposer has reviewed and agrees to be bound by County of Sacramento terms and conditions (Attachment A), excluding only those provisions that have been redlined for negotiation purposes and are included in their proposal;

c. A statement that the proposer does not have an actual or perceived conflict of interest regarding this

RFP or in submission of their proposal; or alternatively, a statement explaining any conflict of interest and how to avoid, mitigate or neutralize the conflict.

5.2 Proposal

Proposals must contain the following information (and in the same order):

a. A brief profile of the proposer, including the size, organizational structure and history.

b. A plan for delivering services consistent with the scope of work in Section 3, including but not limited to the following:

• description of the proposed services

• procedures for carrying out services

• description of proposed monitoring technology

• technical approach and methodology

• testing and acceptance standards for the services

• schedule or frequency of services

• proposed dates for services/ deliverables/ milestones

• example deliverables and reporting format

• description of prior experience performing such services

• capacity to perform the services, including schedule/availability of staff and resources.

c. Name of project or account manager to be assigned to the County.

d. A statement of qualifications that includes:

• Company qualifications and relevant experience.

e. Resume of key staff. (not included in 10 page limit)

Information for key staff must include:

• professional credentials;

• education or certifications;

• expertise and capability;

• applicable professional affiliations and accreditations, and

• applicable professional experience.

f. A narrative of the experience of the proposer in implementing similar services for other clients, including governmental clients similar in size to Sacramento County, if available.

g. References for whom the proposer has provided services similar to those described in this RFP. The

County reserves the right to check other references not provided by the proposer. The following information is required for each reference:

• customer name and address;

• point of contact (name, telephone number, email) for contractual/administrative matters and technical performance;

• period of contract performance; and

• description of work performed.

*Emphasis should be given to providing references where 1) the resources used are the same or mostly the same as those who will be used for the County’s purposes, and 2) the references are governmental organizations of similar size to the County. The County may request additional references from proposer.

h. Pricing/costs:

• Cost proposal, including mobilization, monitoring, reporting, and optional follow-up services.

6. Evaluation Phases

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

1. Quality of the proposed services N/A N/A

2. Experience and qualifications N/A N/A

3. Quality of proposal compliance N/A N/A

4. Cost N/A N/A

7. Vendor Submissions

7.1. Certification of Independent Contractor Status*

"I hereby certify that the Contractor/Consultant firm employs five or more full-time employees. “Full-time”, as defined by the Internal Revenue Service, means persons employed for 20 or more hours per week, and excludes temporary employees whose term of employment will be less than one (1) month.

This certification satisfies the Internal Revenue Service criteria for treatment of the above-named consultant as an independent contractor, not an employee for tax withholding purposes."

☐ Yes, I certify that the firm has five (5) or more full-time employees.

☐ No, I certify that the firm does not have five (5) or more full-time employees, and the firm provides services to the general public. (The County will conduct a tax determination review if this option is selected.)

*Response required

7.2. Contractor Certification of Compliance, part 1*

WHEREAS it is in the best interest of Sacramento County that those entities with whom the County does business demonstrate financial responsibility, integrity and lawfulness, it is inequitable for those entities with whom the County does business to receive County funds while failing to pay court-ordered child, family and spousal support which shifts the support of their dependents onto the public treasury.

Therefore, in order to assist the Sacramento County Department of Child Support Services in its efforts to collect unpaid court-ordered child, family and spousal support orders, the following certification must be provided by all entities with whom the County does business:

Contractor/Consultant hereby certifies that either:

☐ the Contractor/Consultant is a government or non-profit entity (exempt), or

☐ the Contractor/Consultant has no Principals Owners (25% or more) (exempt), or

☐ each Principal Owner (25% or more) does not have any existing child support orders, or

☐ Contractor/Consultants Principal Owners are currently in substantial compliance with any court-ordered child, family and spousal support order, including orders to provide current residence address, employment information, and whether dependent health insurance coverage is available. If not in compliance, Principal Owner has become current or has arranged a payment schedule with the

Department of Child Support Services or the court.

*Response required

7.3. Contractor Certification of Compliance, part 2*

New Contract/Consultant shall certify that each of the following statements is true:

a. Contractor/Consultant has fully complied with all applicable state and federal reporting requirements relating to employment reporting for its employees; and

b. Contractor/Consultant has fully complied with all lawfully served wage and earnings assignment orders and notices of assignment and will continue to maintain compliance.

NOTE: Failure to comply with state and federal reporting requirements regarding a Contractor's employees or failure to implement lawfully served wage and earnings assignment orders or notices of assignment constitutes a default under the contract; and failure to cure the default within 90 days of notice by the County shall be grounds for termination of the contract. Principal Owners can contact the

Sacramento Department of Child Support Services at 1-866-901-3212, by writing to P.O. Box 269112, Sacramento, 95826-9112, or via the Customer Connect website at www.childsup.ca.gov .

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

7.4. Proposal (without cost proposal)*

Upload your proposal here. Do not include your cost proposal in this section.

*Response required

7.5. Cost proposal (separate)*

Upload your cost proposal here. Confirm that your cost proposal is not attached with your proposal and is attached separately here.

*Response required

7.6. Confidential sections of proposal (if applicable)

The County will treat all information submitted in a proposal as available for public inspection once the

County has awarded a contract. If you believe that you have a legally justifiable basis under the

California Public Records Act (Government Code section 6250 et. seq.) for protecting the confidentiality of any information contained within your proposal, you must identify any such information, together with the legal basis of your claim in your proposal, and present such information in this section as part of your proposal response package. The final determination of whether the County will assert a proposer's claim of confidentiality shall be at the sole discretion of the County. Click "file upload" below to upload any proposal documents you consider to be confidential documents.

7.7. Proposed Contract Exceptions

If proposing any exceptions to the County's Sample Contract, upload a redlined revision of the Sample

Contract attached to this solicitation here. Any submissions are for negotiation purposes only.

If no exceptions are proposed, please skip this question.

7.8. Provide the full contact name, title, and e-mail of the signatory for your firm. Provide contact information for the contract manager for your firm in order to distribute contract documents, including other recipients requiring a copy, if awarded.*

Signatory: name, title, email

Contract manager/admin: name, phone, email http://www.childsup.ca.gov/

7.9. PaymentWorks Contact*

Please provide the name and e-mail for a finance point-of-contact for your firm that will receive an invitation to complete the vendor registration process on the County's PaymentWorks portal.

To clarify, if you are set-up with other agencies using PaymentWorks, that information is not available to the County, so you must complete this process for the County.